


Cursive

by seventeensteps



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dogs, Fluff, M/M, soft
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-13
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-05-06 06:10:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14635713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seventeensteps/pseuds/seventeensteps
Summary: Hux hated his day job, lived a double life, and found something nice in the form of messy handwritten notes.(By 'double life', he didn't mean the 'law-abiding citizen by day; crime-fighting vigilante by night' sort of bullshit. It wasn't even what he did all night, just a few hours after work, fully legal.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> god i really thought this was a one-shot thing? how did this happen lol
> 
> ps. I changed the title from _before those hands pulled me from the earth_ (taken from _Like Real People Do_ by Hozier) to this one. It seems more fitting.

Hux lived a double life. During the day, he was your typical cubicle-dwelling marketing executive who thought about quitting daily but didn't actually have the nerve to do it. He hated his coworkers. They were this bunch of idiots -- with an exception of some really efficient ones -- who couldn't do anything without Hux holding their metaphorical hands through it. And his boss was an annoying prick who only answered a question with an account of his  _wonderful_  life experiences. Hux was tired, felt worthless, had no motivation whatsoever and zero idea why he was still doing it.

Actually maybe he did, but he was too exhausted that at the end of the day, he'd just rather occupy himself something more relaxing than think about how his life was pointless. 

Hux hated his life intensely, and couldn't wait until the clock struck six, so he could finally left his ridiculous desk and went outside to breathe in the polluted air of a big city. How refreshing.

It was still 5:17 pm right now, unfortunately, and Hux almost screamed at Randall for slacking off when he should have been diligently working on his project that was due  _two_  days from now. He still couldn't comprehend how desperate his company was to hire a useless guy like that when Mitaka cleared his throat and informed Hux that his boss had called for his presence. Jesus fuck. He hoped whatever it was, it took less than half an hour because he really couldn't stand Snoke's existence. Phasma shot him a sympathetic look as he walked past her cubicle and he wasn't sure if it made him feel better or worse.

Hux knocked on the glass door twice, and watched as Snoke looked away from his televison set and toward him. There was a documentary about insects playing on the screen, and it was paused at the moment a black widow was about to devour a snack. The bald man gestured him inside with a flick of his wrist. Hux inhaled deeply to collect himself before pulling the door open.

"Sir." He stood exactly four feet away from Snoke's desk and looked pointedly at the hideous-looking paperweight on it.

"So," Snoke began, "I was informed about the delay of your project."

Hux unintentionally ground his teeth. "There was a slight complication during-"

"Look at my face when you talk to me," Snoke cut in.

"Pardon me, sir." Hux looked up, and quickly continued, "As I was saying, there was a slight complication during the talk-"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Snoke sighed. "Hux, I'm disappointed. I actually thought you could do better than this."

He was too tired for this shit. "I'm sorry, sir, but it was-"

"Please don't interrupt me, all right? You know, I did better when I was your age, so I really  _believed_  that you would be able to do what I did. It was my mistake for trusting you." He pretended to think for two seconds. "When I was in Germany, my boss was..."

Hux tuned out after that. He wanted to glance at his watch, but Snoke would catch that, and he would chastise Hux about his manner, and, as a result, this session would drag on even longer. The only clock in Snoke room was on his desk, facing him, so Hux had no way of knowing the time, and Hux knew that this was also some kind of Snoke's evil scheme to terrorize his employees.

"...Hux, were you listening?" Snoke leaned back in his chair.

"Yes, sir." Shit. He had no idea what Snoke had been rambling on about, but made a guess from 'Germany' as the keyword. "You were telling me about your time in Germany and how you presevered under an extreme tyranism of your-"

"All right, I didn't ask you to summarize my story, did I?" Snoke looked bored and annoyed. Hux wanted to strangle him and bash his stupid bald head in with the paperweight. "Now, get out. I'm so tired of your pale pathetic face. I don't even know why I hired you."

"Excuse me, sir." Hux nodded and turned around. He heard a loud sigh, and the serene voice-over about the feeding process of a black widow spider continued. He pushed the door open, and restrained himself from running back to his own desk.

Most of the cubicles were empty as Hux navigated back to his own. It was already 6:33 pm so no wonder. He fantasized about his imaginary resignation letter, debating between 'go to hell' and 'you look like a combination of rotten pair and beaten-up rat' as his closing line as he got his shoulder bag and checked if he forgot anything.

The only silver lining in this job was maybe the fact that Hux rarely had to work overtime. But the pay was shit anyway, so maybe not.

He sighed, and settled on a simple 'fuck you', if it ever came to that.

 

\-- 

 

So, right, that was what he did during the day. By 'double life', Hux didn't actually mean the 'law-abiding citizen by day; crime-fighting vigilante by night' sort of bullshit. It wasn't even what he did all night. He just did it for a few hours after work.

He walked five streets almost every weekday to a shop on the corner of 32nd and 6th. He could take a bus, he supposed, but he despised being in close quarters with other people. Besides, he'd always liked walking anyway.

When he pushed the door open that evening, a cheery voice greeted him from behind the counter like usual. "Hux! Man, you look worse than ususal today."

"I'm very well, thank you, Dameron." Hux took a moment to adjust his tie, before asking, "Are the guys here today?"

Dameron smiled and pointed his thumb toward the door that read 'staff only'. "They're waiting for you, buddy."

"I'm not your buddy," Hux told him and sat down in one of the plastic chairs, placing his leather bag in the other. The man only laughed and mumbled something Hux couldn't hear, before disappearing behind the staff door.

And as he sat there, Hux couldn't help a small smile when he heard a chorus of barks behind the closed door.

"Say hello!" Dameron said once he came back, and Hux was bombarded with fluffy paws and wagging tails.

Hux said hi to each of them, and already he felt a knot in his back loosen a bit.

"You know," Dameron said, not that far away from where he was, "after all this time, you still appear to me as a cat person."

"Hmm." He scratched a Labrador's neck. "I was told that on several occasions."

Dameron crouched down and played with a Dobermann close to him. "Hey, boy, ready for a walk?" he made a kissy sound and attached a leash to her collar. Hux helped doing the same to the rest of them.

"So that's nine of them today?" Hux confirmed. 

Dameron nodded and handed him the timetable for him to sign. It was a weird schedule, dog walking in the evening, and initially Hux was amazed at how many owners didn't have the time or energy to walk their own pet, but thanks to them, Hux got to do this, so he wasn't actually complaining.

So, yes, this was Hux did after hours: dog walking. Not as edgy as one would imagine, but much more relaxing than anyone would expect.

"See you in an hour, business man!" Dameron called after him as he led his troop out of the shop and into the bustling street outside.

Hux raised a hand and waved, inhaling deeply. He could tell that the boys and girls were anxious to burn some energy off after a day of (supposedly) physical inactivity.

Despite the shit day he'd had, as they all waited for the stoplight to turn green, Hux knew it was going to be a good evening.

 

\--

 

Hux followed his usual route to the park around the area. He relished how the air got cleaner and cleaner the nearer he was to their destination. The dogs often caught the attention of small kids and Hux had to politely tell the parents to keep their child away because although they were mostly on their best behaviour with him, he'd rather be proactive than regretful.

Sometimes he caught people taking pictures, and it sort of bothered him at first, but after a while he learned to accept it as something that came with the job. Dogs were irresistible, Hux got that.

Hux's favorite girl was the Dobermann he secretly named 'Ripper'. She was clever and calm and most likely the leader of the pack -- Hux's second in command, because,  _ahem_ , obviously, Hux was the true leader here.

Once they reached the park, Hux was more at ease, loosening his grip to let the leashes go longer, and the guys became more carefree and energetic, except for Ripper, who was walking grandly alongside Hux, and Marlow, a slow English Bulldog boy. This was Hux's favorite part of the day. Watching them having fun made him feel better. With them, from time to time, Hux could vent his bitterness and anger out loud because they didn't care or judge and he found that to be wonderfully therapeutic. There were not that many people at the park anyway, other than some occasional runners. Sometimes, when no men were around, Hux even allowed himself to cry a little.

 

\--

 

They marched back to the shop on 32nd and 6th when time was up. Dameron was waiting for them there, along with some owners -- personally, Hux preferred never meeting with the owners. They tended to rope him into a conversation about 'how' and 'why', and he was just too tired to explain his life choices to them. Luckily, there were only two owners there today, both of them Hux already knew.

"I'm back," he informed them as he walked through the door, and handed the leashes back to Marlow's and Boba's owners respectively. "Good evening, Rey. Maz."

"Thank you for walking Boba, young man." Maz patted the Shar-Pei's head and smiled at him.

"You're welcome," he said, meeting her eyes for a brief moment before going back to helping Dameron unleash the dogs. Maz was a small granny who kind of creeped Hux's out with her old-lady eyes. Maz slapped his arm lightly, and without saying anything more, moved past him and out the door, Boba walking slowly beside her.

Rey was scratching at Marlow's belly when Hux turned back, and Dameron was busying himself with pouring water into several bowls. Hux was about to leave, with hig bag slung over his shoulder, when Rey stood up, and said, "Hey, Mr. Hux. Thank you for looking after BB."

"No problem. I didn't do much anyway." Hux paused at the door. He couldn't help but feel weird, hearing her calling Marlow like that. He had nothing against the name BB though, it was just that this dog was alraedy Marlow in his mind, and it didn't matter anyway, since whatever he called the dog shouldn't really be an issue as long as he kept it to himself. Also, Hux wasn't sure what those letters stood for, or if it was actually Bee Bee, or even something else entirely.

"I made this at school," she said, handing him a small plastic container. "I hope you like it."

"Oh?" Hux took it and opened the lid to peer inside. It was a wobbly piece of cake. Chocolate cake. Hux didn't know what to do then. He felt like he could cry, but that would be too embarrassing. "Thank  _you_ , Rey." He settled with that instead.

"You don't have to eat all of it?" Rey smiled uncertainly up at him. Marlow seemed excited, and tried to stand up to sniff at the food, but Rey pushed him down. "Just... um, tell me if it's too sweet?"

"It looks good," he gave the girl a small smile, "and for me, that's already a good start."

Rey  _almost_  bounced. "Thank you, Mr. Hux! See you later." She adjusted the straps of her backpack, and made a sound inside her mouth. "Come, BB, let's go home."

"She's a good girl," Dameron said once they left, and Hux saw a similar container on his countertop.

"Yes, she is." Hux bent down to pat Ripper's head. She was sitting there patiently, probably waiting for her owner -- whom he'd never met before. He was a bit curious, and tried to paint a picture of Ripper's owner in his head. 40s, rich, tall-

"Hey man, I forgot to give you this earlier."

 

There was a piece of paper in Dameron's hand. Hux glanced at him and took it. It read,

_To dog walker, thanks for walking my dog._

He flipped the paper, but there was nothing else on the other side. "That's from Anna- Ripper's owner," Dameron corrected himself. When talking to Hux, he called them by the names Hux gave them. Made things easier, he said. Hux agreed.

He read the note again, before putting it into his pocket. "Thanks."

"Sure thing, buddy." He was half giggling to himself already. "See you tomorrow?"

Hux sighed, "Dameron."

"I know, I know." His eyes softened. "Want a cup of coffee upstairs?"

"No, thanks." Hux brushed an invisible speck of dust from his tie. "I'll be here tomorrow."

Dameron went back to his spot behind the counter. "Have a good night then, businessman."

"Thanks," Hux met his eyes, "and you."

 

\--

 

Hux spent that evening on the couch, eating Rey's chocolate cake, while reading a novel about a 19th century psychologist. The cake was actually a nice surprise, since he didn't at all expect that it'd be edible. It was too sweet for his liking though, so he made a mental note to tell Rey that the next time they met.

When he emptied his pocket later that night, the note from Ripper's owner fell onto the floor. Hux picked it up, and put the piece of paper on his desk, and forgot about it for the rest of that night.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Normally, Hux would just blast Rammstein into his ears when Snoke started talking.

Hux wanted to scream. He was typing furiously onto his keyboard, hoping the rapid  _clack-clack-clack-clack-clack_  would be loud enough to drown out the inane voice of his egotistical boss. Normally, Hux would just blast  _Rammstein_ into his ears when Snoke started talking, but he couldn't do that today because apparently the origin of the scar on his dented head was somehow of significance to his subordinates. _Clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-_ "

Hux?" Snoke called his name. Wonderful. Someone please kill him right now.

He ceased his fingers and sat up straighter, looking up at the man. "Sir?"

"Where's the report for this month's project?" One corner of Snoke's mouth lifted up in a sneer.

Hux wanted to shoot him with the Glock 22 he regularly cleaned and kept in his bedside table. "Already on your desk, sir."

"Hmm." Snoke somehow seemed dissatisfied with the fact that Hux did his job perfectly. "Good. This is why you're not entirely useless."

Hux inhaled, and opened a folder in the corner of his desktop, labeled _'Report Summary'._ He created a new file called  _'1805_Report Summary'_ and proceeded to type up the latest version of his resignation letter. This one began with 'Shut the fuck up you piece of shit' and ended with 'If I wanted to kill myself, I’d climb to your ego and jump to your IQ.'

That height would definitely kill him then.

 

\--

 

By the time six o'clock rolled around, Hux was so tensed Mitaka took the farther route to the elevator in order to avoid being in his presence. He couldn't blame the poor guy since it had to be obvious how Hux looked one second away from snapping at everyone in his vicinity. Hux was careful to always be one second away from doing something rash and irrational. He guessed today his impatience might be brewing unusually closer to the surface.

He quickly grabbed all his stuff, and rode an elevator down to the first floor. As soon as the door opened, however, Hux was sure he was going to lose it.

It was raining outside. No, scratch that, it was actually _pouring_. It was already impossible to exit the building without getting as wet as a soaked dog within the first 60 seconds, so walking outside with a troop of fur balls in this weather was definitely out of the picture. No owners would be insane enough to let their dog out of the house and into this mad fucking storm.

So now Hux was left with debating between running home right now and to hell with the heavy drops outside, or waiting here with no way of knowing when the rain would stop.

Hux decided he would rather be home than here. He almost regretted his life choice when the first couple of droplets hit his face and body and legs, but he already looked half like he just went for a swim in a suit. _Fuck you, rain._

He shook his hands, and, hugging his bag close to his chest, started the run of his life.

 

\--

 

So that part about it being the run of Hux's life? He might have exaggerated that a bit, since his legs had already started to protest not even halfway through his exertion. As a result, Hux resorted to walking quickly after that. He couldn't be more drenched than that anyway.

Hux thought about the dogs. They must be itching to get outside, and he really wanted to play with them. But he guessed this was how it was. If everything turned out according to his plan, that would be too perfect, and that would be a cause for some cosmic catastrophes.

He started shedding his clothes the moment he stepped inside, trembling. He longed for some heat on his cold skin.

And it was moments like this that made him want to curl up in a corner and stare into the stillness of his apartment.

Though this time Hux didn't indulge himself. He made himself go into the shower, because warm spray of water usually lifted his mood somewhat. He also had to force himself to exit the stall, seeing that lingering in there and running water wastefully down the drain was not entirely environmentally friendly. Plus, it would also be bad for his bill come the end of the month.

Hux dried his red hair with one hand, and held his phone in the other, scrolling past meaningless notifications. A thought about calling someone made itself known in his mind -- but  _who?_ He didn't, didn't know anyone he could call at the moment. It was still pouring outside, and that, combining with the gray sky, made everything seem muted and distant. Lights floated outside his window, slowly and quietly.

He microwaved some leftover pasta he made three days ago, and sat looking at it for three minutes after it _pinged_ before taking it out and sniffed. Smelled edible. Hux didn't quite remember how good his mother's pasta was, but he knew it was definitely better than his rip-off version of hers.

He put on some documentary about fish as a background noise while he ate, and thought about Rey's cake after he finished his meal. He didn't like sweets, to be honest, but being able to eat something someone cooked for him actually made him feel better a little. He craved some chocolate cake then, although if he had it right now, he would take only one bite, and put the rest in the fridge for later.

Once he finished cleaning everything up, Hux picked up a book he was currently reading. It was interesting, but not engaging, and he found himself getting distracted. Maybe he should just go to bed.

And then Hux saw it, the messy and loopy handwriting on a piece of notebook paper Hux had already forgotten about.

_To dog walker, thanks for walking my dog._

And this, Hux didn't know why it had this effect on him, but as he stood there next to his desk, looking down at it, he felt his eyes burn, and then the words got all blurry in front of him.

 

\--

 

Hux wasn't sentimental. He didn't do collectibles. Somehow, however, he couldn't seem to get rid of that stupid piece of paper.

When Hux saw Dameron later that day, the man literally lightened up and said, "Hux, my man! I miss you. We all miss you!"

He sighed. "Of course you do, Dameron. I miss Ripper and the boys, too," he replied. As much as Hux acted like the man annoyed him, he actually appreciated the man's comradery. Dameron, a self-proclaimed dog whisperer, also knew this somehow. Hux knew this for a fact because Dameron said it himself ("I'm a dog whisperer Hux, and I know you like me."). He had said all of it while smiling like a madman that he was, so Hux couldn't really get himself to be irritated at the man for calling him a dog.

"Hey, while you were away, someone left something for you again," the man picked up a familiar-looking piece of paper, and handed that to him.

This time, it read:

_Anna missed you._

Just that. Three words. Nothing more. Hux scratched Ripper's chin as he looked at her as though she held all the insights to the unanswerable thoughts in his brain.

"I told you we all missed you." There was a languid smile on Dameron's face as he leaned his hip against the counter.

Hux put the paper into his pocket. "I see."

"Armie, you're no fun." Dameron laughed when he saw Hux's reaction. "Sometimes I really like your long ass first name."

"You just like to mess with me." Hux counted the dogs. There were only seven of them today. He signed the proffered timetable.

Dameron giggled. "See you in an hour, Armie boy."

Hux shook his head and flipped the man the two-finger salute.

The laugh behind him only got louder.

 

\--

 

" _Woof._ "

Hux was brought back to the present by a sharp bark to his left. It was Marlow. Today the boy was more active than usual. He walked back and forth in front of Hux, tail wagging with so much energy. Hux finally noticed what he was trying to get the human's attention for.

There was a beat-up ball on the ground near them. Hux picked it up.

"Woof!" Marlow yipped again, getting the attention of Sebastian, Midnight, Sandy, Brown, Boba, and Ripper. They all looked at the ball in his hand expectantly.

"All right, all right." He smiled at them. These were all very well-behaved dogs, he reasoned with himself. Besides, there was no one around them.

So Hux pulled his arm back and threw.

Ripper was the first one to, not only reach, but catch it. She jogged elegantly back toward him with the ball between her teeth. Other dogs walked alongside her, and Sebastian might have tried to steal it from Ripper, but the growl from her stopped the Siberian Husky in his track.

"Good girl," Hux told Ripper, rubbing the spot behind her ears, and she gave him the ball. He threw it again.

It was Ripper again who got it, and again, and then it was Marlow, and now Ripper was back at Hux's side while the others were still playing.

"Tired already?"

She looked at him, and then at Midnight running toward them, and sat down. He took the ball from the white Poodle, checked the time, and threw the ball again with a flick of his wrist. Doing this quite often, Hux usually found himself in awe at the intelligence of these animals, and Hux could swear Ripper was a magic dog. She was too smart for her own good sometimes. Ripper's owner must be the luckiest dude in the world.

She licked his hand, and Hux wondered about the severity of a criminal charge for animal theft.

 

\--

 

When they came back, Dameron was chatting with Rey and a boy Hux had never met before. Midnight piped up as soon as he caught sight of him, and the kid turned his head to look at them the moment he heard the door open. Ah, so this was Midnight's owner.

"Fluffy!" He stood up and hugged the giant Poodle while the dog licked his face enthusiastically. "Hi," he told Hux, a bit tentatively.

He nodded, and offered his hand. "I'm Hux."

He stared at Hux's hand, and Rey nudged him with her shoulder. "I'm Finn." He said, finally taking Hux's hand. Finn looked at him weirdly, and turned back to talk to Rey. It seemed the boy didn't think very highly of Hux.

"Hey, Rey," he greeted her, and took the cleaned Tupperware out of his shoulder bag. "Thanks for the cake. A bit too sweet, but I like it."

Rey beamed up at him. Marlow was panting at her feet, looking up at them. "Thanks for your feedback, Mr. Hux. I'll try to make it less sweet for you next time."

"Oh." Hux feigned his surprise. "Is this a made-to-order service now? Do I get to choose the ingredients?"

Rey shook her head. "Nuh-uh. You only get to tell me what flavor you like the most."

"How generous. Ah, I may not look it, but I actually love strawberries." He gave her a small smile.

"I like Rum Raisin," Finn said.

"You can make your own ice-cream," Rey told him, but not unkindly.

"I love Rum Raisin, too," Dameron said from where he was kneeling next to Boba, massaging his paw.

Finn almost tripped from standing up too quickly. "I can make some for you?" That was practically too adorable for Hux to witness, so he turned to help Dameron deal with the dogs instead. He caught Finn looking at them a couple of times when he thought Hux wasn't looking.

"Yo, you want some coffee?" Dameron gestured toward the back room.

Finn might have sat up straighter at that, but Hux wasn't really paying that much attention to him. "No, thanks. Who drinks coffee in the evening anyway?"

"I do, and I know many who do." Dameron crossed his arms.

Hux shook his head and gathered his things. "I need my sleep."

"I drink coffee to sleep."

"You do yours, and I'll do mine."

"Fair enough." He shrugged. "Go home safely, Mr. No Fun."

Hux waved goodbye to all of them and pat Ripper's head before he left. "I'm a lot of fun. Ask the dogs."

"They're biased."

"They're definitely not."

 

\--

 

Hux stuck another piece of paper onto his fridge next to the first one. He thought about Ripper, and her owner. There was this papier-mâché image of that person in his mind, strung together by the Dobermann's discipline and busy-looking handwriting. And, admittedly, Hux's own creativity.

They had to be rich, or from a wealthy background, this was for sure. They were probably old, too. And, ugh, maybe, mostly tall? It was almost like Hux was just trying to turn Ripper into human. That was, kind of, really weird.

_Anna missed you._

Anna. Hux thought about that name, and then he also thought about the name of the person who called their Dobermann _Anna_.

The scrawl of ink followed Hux into his dream that night.

 

\--

 

Birds were annoying little fuckers, especially the ones that chirped loudly and continuously near Hux's bedroom window. It was a Saturday morning, for Christ's sake. He thought about getting a cat to chase the feathery creatures away, but then. Cats might not let him sleep in on Saturday mornings either. He grudgingly pulled the blanket away and sit up, rubbing his face with one hand. Oh _God_ , the light. He hadn't even opened the blind yet, but just the tiny sliver that slipped through was  _excruciating_.

Hux was awake after the shower, and for some reasons unbeknown to him, he decided it was a good idea to visit the park on this beautiful morning.

He took a book with him, and bought a BLT from a sandwich stand, along with a cup of iffy herbal tea. He was operating on autopilot, with merely a goal to get to a park. He already forgot why he had to go to one though. He could turn back, he supposed, but he didn't.

He found a bench and sat down. And since Hux was so not himself today, he thought it would be _fun_ to watch the sparse population in the park doing their own things park while he ate. It was relaxingly boring. People watching used to be more interesting when he was six years old.

" _Woof!_ "

Oh, there was a dog, a large black Dobermann- Hux believed he knew that dog. It was running toward him. That was-

"Sorry-" came a voice, deep, panting. "'m sorry. Normally, she's very well-behaved."

"Ripper?"

"Oh, her name's Anna. _"_ There was a pause. His gaze shifted from Hux to his dog and back at Hux again. " _Oh_."

Ripper sat down in front of Hux and licked his hand.

"You're the dog walker."

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea what I'm doing. Cheers.

So Hux was right about at least one thing: Ripper's owner was tall all right. Hux looked up, and up, into his big brown eyes, mole-dotted face, a shock of unruly dark hair.

"Hi," Hux said, trying not to appear too awkward, "so you're  _Anna_ 's owner."

His eyes dropped to the Dobermann, sitting obediently on the grass, and came back up to meet Hux's. "I heard you called her something else?"

Hux blinked. Was he...  _offended_? Hux couldn't quite tell. "I call her Ripper."

Ripper's owner hummed, face unreadable, and then, "May I sit?"

Hux didn't expect that. "Yeah," he said, scooting to the right side of the bench. It was at that moment when the tall man sat down that Hux realized how  _thick_  he was underneath his black college sweatshirt. His forearms were maybe the size of Hux's skinny, chopstick legs. What the hell, Hux felt guilty about his unhealthy lifestyle just by sitting next to him.

The man was quiet for a couple of seconds, before saying, "I'm Ben," offering Hux his left hand.

Hux hesitated for a beat, considering the name he wanted to be called. Most of the times, he went by 'Hux', but since the man --  _Ben_  -- probably told him his nickname, maybe Hux should return that favor? Taking that big hand in his, Hux said, "Armie." The word left a weird taste in his mouth.

"I... You don't look like a dog walker," Ben said, playing with Ripper, scratching her chin.

Hux took a bite from his BLT, considering. "How should a dog walker look like then?"

"I don't know, but," Ben glanced at him, "you're thinner than I thought."

Hux, well, could only stare at the man. What? "Is that an insult?"

Ben's eyes widened a bit, alarmed. "No, no. Just." He licked his lip. "Sorry, I don't know what I'm saying."

God, this man was  _awkward_. Hux laughed. "Don't worry. I was kind of teasing you."

"Oh, right." Ben's shoulders relaxed, his eyes on Hux. "I think I should go now."

Shit. Hux watched him stood up, Ripper with him. Did he just spook him or something? "Okay."

"See you around," Ben said, not quite meeting Hux's eyes, and it was at this moment when Hux noticed how  _young_  the man was. "Armie."

"See you, Ben," Hux said. Then the dark-haired stranger-turned-Hux's-favorite-dog's-owner was gone. The next time they met, Hux needed to ask him about the name  _Anna_. Also, Hux had been wrong about the age of Ripper's owner.

While he was walking home that morning, something occurred to Hux, and it made him stop in his tracks in front of a busy candy shop on the way home. A mother tsked at him since, apparently, he was in her daughter's way of tooth-rotting sugar cubes.

He apologized, and distractingly continued his journey home.

Hux had already thought about their  _next time._  Okay, not that big of a deal, really. But if he was asked to talk about the book he read later that day, his face would come up wonderfully blank.

Luckily, no one asked him that foolish question.

 

 

 

 

 

\--

 

The notes still came, for some reasons, since Hux'd thought it would stop after their first encounter, ranging from ordinary things like  _Anna really wants to see you today_  to ridiculously random tidbits like  _Anna believed in ghosts_  (Hux had no idea where that one came from). No matter how strange these notes were, however, Hux wasn't exactly complaining.

Today, it was:

_Anna had a bath today. You can hug her._

Okay...? He blinked, not knowing where to place this one on a scale of  _pretty normal_  to  _super random_. Dameron giggled at Hux's reaction. "You should hug her, buddy. I'll tell the guy that you hug her."

And as much as Hux wanted not to do a thing Dameron told him to, he wasn't enough of a prick to deny Ripper's a good hug. He knelt down and put his arms around the Dobermann, patting her flank. Ripper licked his ear.

_Click._

His head whipped up, in time to see Dameron's annoyingly big smile as he pocketed his cell phone. "I'll show it to him."

"You fuck," Hux said monotonously, trying to grab the incriminating device "I didn't allow you to take a picture."

"Yeah, well." Dameron shifted away, grinning. "It's a visual evidence of you hugging her."

Hux sighed, knowing there was no way he could make the dumbass delete that photo. "I'm going now, moron."

"So fast? Don't you want to stick around a bit?"

"See you later, Dameron." Hux waved at him and exited the building.

Hux's current life cycled around  _work, dogs, home, work, dogs, home,_  and sprinkled with some handwritten notes about Ripper/Anna. It was all right. Hux didn't mind the pleasant pattern and the pieces of paper that were taking up space on the wall next to his bed, although there were still times when he bought a six-pack and ordered in a large Hawaiian pizza and woke up on the couch the next morning with no memory whatsoever of the evening before. That was also fine.

Two weeks later on one Saturday afternoon, Hux was out of his depressing apartment and into the disappointing outside world because he was so bored and maybe even a bit lonely -- something he would never admit. He strolled around his usual path, wasn't that conscious about it, and almost bought himself a new luxurious fountain pen because buying things gave himself a boost of dopamine. However, since being a marketing executive probably didn't really involve owning a full set of ink and seven fountain pens simultaneously, this time he successfully -- but barely -- restrained himself from such indulgence.

He somehow ended up in a supermarket instead, and it was in the midst of his debate between Loretta and Kraft when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Annoyance half-formed on his lips, Hux turned around to face a tall man, Ripper's owner,  _Ben_ , his not-really-functioning brain supplied.

"Hello," Ben said. Next to him was a cart full of fresh vegetables and raw meat, and a few jars of oregano and  _something,_ in contrary to Hux's Nissin cups and packages and various brands of frozen meal. With a head of broccoli thrown in there for good measure. Nice.

"Hi, Ben," Hux said cooly, trying to look confident and healthy with his monosodium glutamate-fuled shopping cart. He cringed inwardly.

Ben eyed his cart, eyebrows going up very slightly. "Rough semester, huh?"

Hux cursed himself for deciding to go shopping today. "Ha. I've already graduated. You?"

Ben's lips parted a little as some kind of understanding dawned on him. "Second year of engineering school."

Hux's eating habit was worse than an undergrad. Wonderful. "Sounds fancy. Want to quit yet?"

The corners of Ben's mouth lifted up into a small smile. "Too many times."

"By the way, you have a maid or something?" Hux made a point of peering into Ben's cart. "That's not a typical undergrad shopping list."

"I just love to cook," Ben said, shrugging.

"No way." Hux grimaced. "You're one endangered species, Benjamin."

Ben rolled his eyes, too charming for his own good, and said, "Do you have any plans after this? You're invited to try it yourself, if you want to."

Hux just stared at him, brain already trying to come up with an excuse.

"Anna would love to see you, too," Ben said, voice soft, looking so young with those big brown eyes.

Hux, who possessed no ability to refuse when the Dobermann was mentioned, said, "I have to go now, don't I?"

Ben nodded, and asked, "Do you have anything you can't eat?"

Hux had no idea what just happened.

 


End file.
